Film Name: 鬼打鬼 / Encounter of the Spooky Kind
Sammo Hung’s first zombie action film shares elements with his other action movies: teahouse brawls, corrupt wealthy landlords, and shady advisors. Its innovation lies in the zombie-fighting sequences, which are numerous and dazzling, blending Eastern and Western styles—elements later reused in subsequent films.
The corpse sucking human energy to mimic movements was later adopted by the hastily produced New Mr. Vampire. The black cat leaping over corpses likely originates from Western folklore.
The horror elements unrelated to the main plot were largely replicated in later films.
By “Mr. Vampire,” the mixing of glutinous rice and sticky rice—symbolizing the blending of good and evil—was simplified. Sammo Hung’s full-body talisman drawings were reduced to just one on Chin Siu-ho’s chest, emphasizing the deep bond between master and disciple.
The battle between good and evil appears in both “Encounter of the Spooky Kind II” and “The Ultimate Vampire.”
Invoking spirits to possess someone: “Banana Spirit”
Protection from a red bellyband: “Wizard’s Curse” (This film’s plot is cringeworthy)
The title “Ghost vs. Ghost” literally means two ghosts fighting over one person in the opening scene, but it also refers to two fellow disciples clashing fiercely until both are defeated. Additionally, it alludes to the actual meaning of Master Tan being possessed by a spirit and killing his teacher. (Spirit possession battles feel like choosing characters in a fighting game, haha)
The Taoist outfits are quite flashy. The senior disciple, despite his receding hairline, sports multiple braids and layered robes. The junior disciple has a single braid with loose strands draped over his shoulder, wearing simpler, plain blue robes. However, his cloth bag has a boho-chic vibe, and his overly formal hand gestures for casting spells make him look more like a wizard than a Taoist (though they might be similar). Still, I think the chubby one looks more like a righteous character, while Zhong Fa’s wide-eyed expression doesn’t quite scream “good guy.”
Finally, the Hong Kong crew found a look that suits Uncle Ying here. It feels like they’ve been struggling with his square face for ages—like when they gave him sideburns in “By Hook or by Crook,” which looked off because while his head isn’t huge, his face is rather hollow. Here, with long, arched eyebrows and a beard complementing his fair complexion, it looks quite handsome. By “The Dead and the Deadly,” the look was mostly perfected, The long sideburns were dropped, while eyebrows and facial hair remained. As an elderly character, he sported a goatee. His costume featured a white undershirt and a blue outer robe, with the yellow Taoist robe worn only during spellcasting. By “Mr. Vampire,” he portrayed a character around fifty, so the goatee was removed and his hair was half-gray. I suspect if the younger-looking Hsiao Kuan-ying hadn’t played the disciple, the styling might have been slightly younger.